Cooling system for internalcombustion engines



June 13, 1950 H. E.,SlM| 2,511,549

coouuc SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 11, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0 //ea 0910f 5/1221 June 13, 1950 H. E. SlMlCOOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL Filed Jan. 11, 1947 COMBUSTION ENGINES 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I MSQQ QQQnx I INVENTOR. flenonck E. 51/221 Patented June13, 1950 UNITED EPATENT iOEEI'CE "COOIIING SYSTEM "FORINT'ERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES .1 Hendrick Simi; Seattle,'.- Wash, :assignorjstoKenwortlr Motor. Truck Corporation; ;.Seattle, (Wash, a corporation ofWashington .fiApplication January 11, 1947 ,-Seria'l N 721,521

(Cl;.1-80e-54) TCIaims.

This invention'relates to coolingpsystems' for internal combustionenginesparticularly: engines -f the water-jacketedtype, andwhileespecially applicable to the power plants of automotive-vehicles,busses in particular, the-systemv might-advantageously be applied to astationary engine.

The invention-has for its object toprovide an improvedcooling systempeculiarized" in. its employment Of a turbine type of radiatorfan soassociated with the water-cooling radiator of. the engine'astopush the"air through the radiator as distinguished fromthe more common practiceof V pullingztheair therethrou gh. Theturbinecharacter of fan,commonly-known as a'squirrel-cage fan, has several distinct.advantages-overvthe more usually employed, propeller ,type, beingmarkedly quieter .in operation-consuming considerably :less horse-powerand thus leaving. more energy for poweringlthe vehicle and assuring alonger service life in that 'the naturetof a turbine-type an permitssturdier construction, develops a modicum oidestructive torqueinoperatiomand: readily permits a rubberized mounting of the arbor tocompletely insulate the moving parts. from the vehicle frame.--My'advanced arrangement, -by which the turbine-fan used in the presentinvention causes thelair to be pushed rather-than pulled throughwtheradiator takes advantage of the :generally recognized greater efficiencywhich thistype-of ian accomplishes when it is solapplied and has tofurther advantage of achieving-better controlof the-air. after thelatter passes through theradiatorz-to enable this air to be usefullyemployed.

' With the I above and other still more particular objects'andadvantages in View; and which -will appear and-be understood -:inthe'course of the efollowing description and claims, the inventionconsists in the novel' construction and in the adaptation and.combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

. Inthe accompanyingdrawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary View, partly inlplan and partly in horizontalsectionglookingrdown upon the chassis ofa'bus-embodying a cooling systemconstructed in accordance with one .em-

hodiment of the presentinvention.

- Fig. 2is a transverseverticalsectional view on line 2-.2 of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal-wertical sectional-view taken to anenlarged scaleon line '33 of Fig. 1 to detail a flow-choking featureincorporated .intthe present: system.

The epresent in-vention comprehendsan assothe endsdnlview :by reason ofthezparticularway in which :theysare:combinecLandby' which I mean :the'ifunctional significance? -of the association rather-than .ansparticular mode of placing the .mpartstmhave thexsame occupy aparticular locationuponthebus 0r Iotheryehicle to'which the system maybe applied. lIherefare-several ways or'carrying the-invention "intopractice, one of i which I haver electedxto :illustrate;.tariother ofwhich I will refer. to .hereinafter, :and1sti1l1others 1 Which-will be.largelyi-selfeevident':having knowledgeofs these installations.

First: describingnthezin ention asv it is "shown in theedra-wings, thecooling system is. here applied to a Water-jacketed internal combustion'engine denoted :geneially by' thernumeral 5 and which is iisuitably'hun g'fromzcthe frame fof the Vehicle to lie -below-the coach'fiooriiina position central or zapproximately'ccentral,r.:to the vehicle length.'1 Transversely considered-,""the mounting 10f -the rmotor,places'tthe'l'atter'ufell to one side :ofithe'vehicleslongitudinaliicenter line. I The frame-,Iias illustrated,:comprises the usual-two longitudinal'meinbers fi and 1, cross-channels8,

and; at each side Plimit;i:an':outlying longitudinal channel 9-sustained the" cross-channelsand Hung. from. the' longitudinal center:girders 6 and :Istoroccupy a-ipositi'on to the front ofthe enginesubstantially midwayibetween the side limits :of :the vehicle; :and:with" its own: Width i being api preciably' :le'ssi'th'an that. ofv :thevehicle} there is "provided arb'oxi-likefan housing l I, 'andserving'tosupply: air: to rthis iihOUSlllg' from: a xp-oint for- Wardly:removedbeyond the .spray .:pattern :of the front wheels l2rthere isv:p'rovided anaintake tunnelfl 3. f The term spray-pattern?signifiesthatarea inawhich dust; .Waterrand the like is causedtosbeothrownarearwardlyssfrom the; front wheels "of Lthe Evehicle'theoperationofthe' latter. This tunnel; which opens tothe".front,:lis:'fitted with a screerr l4; =anduin-1its side 'wallpresents. a

screened opening 15 permitting. aiminor; "part of. the =ineoming columnoirlairtto abe divertedzby suction-.througlr awconnectingf duct .16 toazcar :ciation of parts which are made itoxaccomplish 2755-22.,-'.-therecbeingtprovided betweenthe drivempulley and the arborproper a flexible coupling 23. The fans inherently make little or nonoise in operation and are further quieted by mounting the ends of thearbor in rubberized anti-friction bearings carried by stands which aremade fast to the fan casings, the fan casings being in turn fixedlyanchored in relation to the fan housing. The casings for the fans arefurther rigidified by longitudinal tie bars 24.

The radiators for the present cooling system, desirably two in numberand designated and 26, are arranged to occupy a position immediately tothe front of the engine between the fan housing II and a skirtprolongation 21 of the coach body, being placed longitudinal to thevehicle and in side-by-side relation canted somewhat from theperpendicular. To sustain these radiators, I employ hanger bolts 28 atthe top and brackets 29 at the bottom, the brackets being welded toangle-iron posts 30 depending from the frame girder 6. A set of shutters3!, controlled either manually or automatically in the usual or asuitable manner, is mounted to the immediate rear of the radiators, andenclosing the shutter assembly is a shroud 32. Made fast to this shroudare respective ducts 33, 34 and 35 leading through the side wall of thefan housing from the outlet sides of each of the turbine fans. The tailends of the outlet ducts are expanded to enlarge the cross-sectionalarea traversed by the pushed columns of air, and the slope which isgiven to the radiator cores makes it possible to accomplish an evengreater cooling efficiency considered in point of the areal extent ofthe radiation surface.

Manifold pipes 36 and 31, coupled by hoses 38 and 39 with the waterconnections 40 and 4| of the engine, feed by separate branches into thebottoms of the radiators and likewise draw by separate branches from thetops of the latter, there being also provided the usual filling pipes(not shown) which extend, by preference, to a raised auxiliary tanklocated at any point suitable for convenient servicing. Between theconnection flanges which are provided upon the outlet branches 42 of thetop manifold pipe 31 and upon the outlet pipes 43 from the radiatorsthere is introduced a disc 44, this disc being centrally apertured as at45 (Fig. 3) and being characterized in that the same is replaceable toprovide either a larger or a smaller aperture as weather conditions maydictate. This is to say that the flow capacity of the disc which isapplied during hot-weather driving, in order to assure maximum coolingefficiency, would preferably correspond to the full-flow capacity of thebranch 42 whereas, in cold weather, this flow capacity is appreciablychoked and may, insofar as one of the twin radiators is concerned, beout off altogether. The idea of inserting a flow-choking disc into aradiators draw-off pipe is, I believe, properly credited to W. A. Kysor,of Kysor Heating Company, Cadillac, Michigan, and I therefore profess nonovelty thereto, the principle being, however, especially applicable tomy cooling system inasmuch as it gives a wide range of control whenapplied to two radiators which are entirely independent of one anotherinsofar as the circulation of the contained bodies of water areconcerned.

An advantage of my system of cooling which has recourse topusher-applied turbine fans is that the air, after being forced throughthe radiators, may be thereupon used for purposes other than its primarycooling office, and I particularly have in mind two functions, one thatof driving part of the warm air into the passenger compartment of thecoach and the other that of causing the remaining air column to be swepttoward and over the engine in order that the air blast may serve toblank out and divert the dust present under the vehicle and which, withan underfloor engine installation, ordinarily is deposited in a ratherheavy layer upon the engine. Locating my engine, as I do, to the rear ofthe radiator, the issuing column of air is perforce caused to pass overthe engine during those periods in which the vehicle is under way, andfor controlling that portion of the air which is to be used for heating,I provide a box-like trap 46 upon the exhaust side of the foremostradiator and which covers, say, the forward half of the latter. Thistrap is open front and rear, and there is provided, to connect with thefront opening, a duct 41 leading upwardly into the passengercompartment. Movable into and from a position closing the rear openingis a thermostatically-controlled damper G8 which is made responsive tothe temperature which obtains within the passenger compartment. Thisheating instrumentality complements the vehicles usual heater and allowsthe vehicle to employ a main heater of less B. t. u. output than isnormally required.

As an alternative mode of applying my pusheracting turbine fans, theradiators may be mounted horizontally at the bottom of the enginecompartment with only so much tip as to assure drainage. This locationof the radiators provides a positive water-fill of the core and tankspaces and consequently minimizes aeration which is a fault commonlypresent when the radiators are mounted vertically and such that theirtop end lies in a plane close to the top of the engine. In thishorizontal mounting of my radiators I perforce employ a high filler pipehaving a small auxiliary or surge tank at the upper end. With thislast-described method of mounting the radiators, I have considered itdesirable to also have the turbine fans lie within the enginecompartment and cause the same to take a part of the air from thecompartment, which serves the desirable end of putting the enginecompartment under negative pressure, engine fumes being dispelledthrough the radiators into the atmosphere with a positive elimination ofthe possibility of the fumes seeping into the passenger compartment. Thebalance of the intake air for the turbine fans is drawn from the outsidethrough louver openings in the side of the vehicle body.

It will be self-evident that the cooling system of the present inventionmay be applied either in an under-floor installation or within a rearchamber located behind the passenger compartment.

While the service life of a turbine type fan is considerably longer thanthat of a propellertype fan it should be noted, in the event that anydamage should occur from wear or other causes, that the replacementproblem in the present system is considerably simplified by theinterchangeability of parts. All three of the fans which I employ areexactly alike and it becomes therefore necessary that only onereplacement part be carried in stock.

No limitations are to be implied from the foregoing detailed descriptionof one embodiment of the invention and my somewhat cursory reference toa second embodiment departing therefrom primarily only in point of thelocation of g the parts. It is my intention that all forms ofconstruction and variations in detail coming within the scope of thehereto annexed claims will be considered as comprehended by theinvention.

What I claim is:

1. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, incombination with the engine, and with a water-cooling radiator havingwater-circulating connection with the engine, a plurality of co-axialturbine-type fans, hood shrouding the radiator, and respective ductsleading from the outlet sides of the several fans and joined by theirtail ends to the shroud for conducting the pressure streams offan-driven air to the core of the latter.

2. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, incombination with the engine, and with functionally independentwater-cooling radiators having water-circulating connection with theengine, a plurality of co-axial turbine type fans, a hood shrouding theradiators, and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of theseveral fans and joined at their tail ends one with another and with theshroud for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air to thecores of the radiators.

3. In a wheeled vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engineserving as the power plant therefor, a water-cooling radiator havingwater-circulating connection with the engine, a fan housing, anair-supply tunnel connecting with said housing and taking its air fromthe front of the vehicle at a point forwardly removed beyond the spraypattern of the front wheels, a plurality of functionally independentturbine fans, each complete with a squirrel-type rotor and a rotorcasing, housed in co-axial spaced relation within the fan housing andeach drawing air from within the housing, a hood shrouding the radiator,and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of the several fancasings through a wall of the fan housing and joined at their tail endswith the hood for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air tothe core of the radiator.

4. In a vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engine servingas the power plant therefor, a water-cooling radiator havingwatercirculating connection with the engine, a fan housing providing anair-intake opening, a plurality of identical and functionallyindependent turbine fans, each complete with a squirrel-type rotor and arotor casing, housed in co-axial spaced relation within the fan housingand each drawing air from within the housing, a drive arbor common tothe rotors of each of the fans and driven from the engine, a hoodshrouding the radiator, and respective ducts leading from the outletsides of the several fan casings through a wall of the fan housing andjoined at their tail ends with the hood for conducting the pressurestreams of fan-driven air to the core of the radiator.

5. In a coach-type Wheeled vehicle, and in combination with awater-jacketed engine serving as the power plant therefor, awater-cooling shrouded radiator having water-circulating connection withthe engine, a turbine-type fan, an air tunnel leading to the intake sideof the fan and taking its air from the front of the vehicle at a pointforwardly removed beyond the spray pattern of the front wheels, a ductleading from the outlet side of the fan and joined at the tail end tothe radiator shroud for conducting the pressure stream of fan-driven airto the core of the radiator, an air-trapping box overlying the outletside of the radiator core and providing separate outlets one leadinginto the passenger compartment of the coach and the other spilling tothe atmosphere, and a damper for the box thermostatically controlled bythe temperature obtaining within the passenger compartment forcontrolling the volume of heated air fed from the box to the passengercompartment.

6. In a wheeled vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engineserving as the power plant for the Vehicle and mounted to occupy anunder-floor position offset to one side of the vehicles longitudinalcenter line, a watercooling shrouded radiator placed longitudinal to thevehicle in front of the engine and having water-circulating connectionwith the engine, a fan housing placed alongside the radiator in aposition more or less central to the width of the vehicle, an air tunnelconnecting with the fan housing and taking its air from the front of thevehicle at a point forwardly removed beyond the spray pattern of thefront wheels, a plurality of identical turbine fans, each complete witha squirrel-type rotor and a rotor casing, housed in co-axiallongitudinally spaced relation within the fan housing and each drawingair from within the housing, a drive arbor common to the rotors of eachof the fans and projecting by its rear end through the back wall of thehousing, driving connection from the engine to the rear end of thearbor, and respective ducts leading from the outlet side of the fancasings through a side wall of the fan housing and joined at their tailends with the radiator shroud for conducting pressure streams offan-driven air to the core of the radiator, the column of clean airissuing from the radiator core being forced by pressure of the windstream passing the vehicle to wash over the engine.

7. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, incombination with the engine and with a water-cooling radiator havingwater-circulating connection with the engine, a turbinetype fanreceiving its intake air through an end opening and discharging the airfrom a side opening, and an air-flow duct extending from the said sideopening of the fan and leading to the radiator to cause the air to bepushed through the core of the latter, the axis of said duct being at aslope with the plane of the radiator to increase the areal extent of theradiation surface thereof.

HENDRICK E. SIMI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,575,692 Knight Mar. 9, 19261,820,091 Reavis Aug. 25, 1931 1,867,678 Rayburn July 19, 1932 1,974,033Nallinger Sept. 18, 1934 2,123,076 Madden July 5, 1938., 2,165,795Holmstrom July 11, 1939 2,232,587 Brandt Feb. 18, 1941 2,250,382 KlavikJuly 22, 1941 2,407,223 Caldwell Sept. 10, 1946

